"Happy" is the first poem released by Lana Del Rey from her first poetry book Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass.
Background[]
On February 19, 2019, Del Rey shared the full poem on her Instagram account.[1] She shared an except from the poem along with an accompanying image on February 28, 2020.[2]
Cross-references[]
- Happiness is often mentioned in many of Del Rey's songs including "Is This Happiness", "Happiness Is a Butterfly", "I Must Be Stupid for Being so Happy", among other songs.
- Money is referenced in many songs such as "Money Power Glory" and "Money Hunny".
- Love is also a central theme in "Love", "Strangelove", "Pretty When You Cry", "True Love on the Side", "White Mustang", "You're Gonna Love Me", "Terrence Loves You" amongst many others.
- Angels are also mentioned in "Angels, Forever".
- Stars are also referenced in "Starry Eyed", "California" and "Ride".
- Mar Vista is a neighborhood in California adjoined at the west by Venice and on the northwest by Santa Monica; both places referenced on Del Rey songs.
- A Tudor house is also mentioned in the poem "LA Who Am I to Love You".
Poem[]
You thought i was rich and i am but not how you think
I live in a tudor house under the freeway in Mar Vista by the beach
when you call i take my phone outside to the picnic table
that i bought from the Rose Bowl
and i listen to the rushing cars above
and i think about the last time you visited me
the last time we made love
how the noise got louder and louder during rush hour
and it felt like the ocean was the sky
and that i was flying because you were two feet taller than me
until you took me in your arms
and i could touch the stars
and they all fell down around my head
and i became and angel
and you put me to bed
happy
People think that i'm rich and i am but not how they think
i have a truck with a gold key chain in the ignition
and on the back it says: happy joyous and free
happy
and when i drive
i think about the last time my friends were driving with me
how the radio was so loud that we couldn't hear the words
so we became the music
happy
They write that i'm rich and i am but not how they think
i have a safe i call the boyfriend box
and in it every saved receipt
every movie theater ticket just to remind me
of all the things i've loved and lost and love again
unconditionally
You joke that i'm rich and i am but not how you think
i live in a tudor house under the freeway
off of Rose Avenue 12 blocks from the beach
and when you call i put your sweater on
and put you on speaker
and chat for hours underneath the trees
and think about the last time you were here lying next to me
how the noise from the cars got louder and louder
during rush hour
until it sounded like a river or a stream
and it felt like we were swimming
but it wasn't just a dream
we were just
happy